Skip to content
Demiton
Demiton
CLOCS-A guide
CLOCS-A / Heavy vehicle pre-start checklist

Heavy vehicle pre-start checklist for CLOCS-A and TS 00088 jobs

A heavy vehicle pre-start check is the inspection a driver or operator makes before the vehicle works each day, and the record that it was done. On a CLOCS-A job and on a TfNSW contract under TS 00088 it is a written duty, with a clause, not only good practice.

Demiton is not CLOCS-A, is not an accreditation body and accredits no one. This is an independent explainer. Every duty and item below is read from CLOCS-A Standard v1.6, published 21 April 2026, read 21 October 2026.

What the two documents require

TfNSW TS 00088, cl 6.9. Have the operator carry out and record a daily inspection of each vehicle and plant item before every shift, and keep the report in the vehicle. The window the library records is 1 day: before each shift. The same clause covers the service history: keep each vehicle's service records available in the vehicle.

CLOCS-A, cl 5.4.3(a). Carry out a Driver's Daily Pre-start Check on every heavy vehicle, and report and fix the defects it finds. The Standard places the pre-start inside a maintenance management system for the heavy vehicle fleet. The CLOCS-A duty falls on the transport operator: the business that directs the heavy vehicles serving the site, which is the contractor itself when it runs its own trucks.

Where both apply, as on a TfNSW job that also requires CLOCS-A, one daily check can meet both, as long as it is recorded, kept in the vehicle, and every defect it finds is reported and fixed. CLOCS-A vs TS 00088 sets out the rest of the two documents side by side.

Who does it, and when

TS 00088 puts the check on the operator of each vehicle and plant item, before every shift. CLOCS-A makes sure the driver has the skill: make sure every heavy vehicle driver the operator engages has completed training in vulnerable road user awareness, low-risk driving, safe loading and unloading, load restraint, pre-start inspection, fatigue management and breakdown safety (CLOCS-A cl 5.4.5(a)). Pre-start vehicle inspection is one of the named skills.

A second shift in the same day is a second shift: TS 00088 asks for the inspection before each one. Plant counts as well as road vehicles under TS 00088, so an excavator or a loader on a TfNSW job needs its own daily inspection and its own report.

Defects: report, fix, record

A pre-start that finds a defect and stops there does not meet CLOCS-A. The duty in cl 5.4.3(a) is to report the defect and fix it, inside a maintenance system that manages planned and unplanned work on the fleet. In practice that means three entries for each defect: what was found and when, who it was reported to, and when it was rectified. The checklist below has a line for each.

The records to keep

  • The daily inspection report (cl 6.9).
  • Keep each vehicle's service records available in the vehicle (cl 6.9).
  • Keep each vehicle's and plant item's operator manual and safety information, and the plant risk assessment and SWMS for high-risk activities, available to the operator (cl 6.8).

The Bronze equipment, at the pre-start

Fit every heavy vehicle with at least the CLOCS-A Bronze safety equipment, or the higher tier the TfNSW contract manager selects (TS 00088 cl 8). A daily check is the natural place to confirm the equipment is still there and working: a mirror knocked out of line or a beacon that has stopped turning is a defect like any other. The 16 Appendix E1 items are on the checklist below; the Bronze page explains each one.

Printable checklist

Heavy vehicle daily pre-start

Vehicle registration:

Date:

Shift:

Operator:

Defects found:

Reported to:

Rectified on:

  • Have the operator carry out and record a daily inspection of each vehicle and plant item before every shift, and keep the report in the vehiclecl 6.9TS 00088
  • Carry out a Driver's Daily Pre-start Check on every heavy vehicle, and report and fix the defects it findscl 5.4.3(a)CLOCS-A
  • Keep each vehicle's service records available in the vehiclecl 6.9TS 00088
  • Keep each vehicle's and plant item's operator manual and safety information, and the plant risk assessment and SWMS for high-risk activities, available to the operatorcl 6.8TS 00088
  • No solid, clear or coloured bug deflectors on bonneted trucks(City and urban projects only)App E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No external engine air intake hardware above bonnet level on bonneted trucks(City and urban projects only)App E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No large bullbars that rise above the vehicle's standard bumper height(City and urban projects only)App E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No sunvisors that protrude below the windscreen's tinted band or the wipers' swept pathApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No overly large lettering or decals on any part of the windscreenApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No windscreen or side window tinting that cuts light transmittance beyond legal levelsApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • No aftermarket fitments inside the cab, such as screens or mobile phones, that create blind spots or restrict the driver's viewApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Fresnel lens on the front or a peeper window, OR approved front and left-side cameras or proximity sensors(Either/OR: one of the two)App E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Amber beacons on the cabin roofApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Class V (passenger side) and Class VI (front) blind spot mirrorsApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Reverse beepersApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Conspicuity markings in retro-reflective tapeApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • High visibility drawbar colour schemeApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Vulnerable road user warning signageApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Wheel-nut position indicatorsApp E1CLOCS-A Bronze
  • Reversing cameras OR reversing sensors(Either/OR: one of the two)App E1CLOCS-A Bronze

CLOCS-A Standard v1.6, published 21 April 2026, read 21 October 2026. TfNSW TS 00088:1.0, issued 26 August 2024, effective 26 August 2025.

What this checklist does not hold

The library holds the duty to inspect, not a list of mechanical items, so this sheet does not list tyres, brakes, lights or fluids. Use the vehicle manufacturer's form, or your own, for those, and keep it with this one. What the rows on this page require is that the check happens before each shift, that it is recorded and kept in the vehicle, and that defects are reported and fixed.

What this page is, and is not

It is the clause text this library holds from the CLOCS-A Standard, with whom each duty binds. It is not legal advice, it is not accreditation, and it does not score anyone's readiness. Read the Standard and the contract you signed.

Clauses read from the obligation library, release v22, last checked against the source on .

Talk to usEvery document we hold

Source: CLOCS-A Standard v1.6, published 21 April 2026, read 21 October 2026

Common questions

Is a heavy vehicle pre-start check a legal requirement?

Under the two documents on this page it is a contract requirement where they apply. TS 00088 cl 6.9: Have the operator carry out and record a daily inspection of each vehicle and plant item before every shift, and keep the report in the vehicle. CLOCS-A cl 5.4.3(a): Carry out a Driver's Daily Pre-start Check on every heavy vehicle, and report and fix the defects it finds.

Where must the pre-start record be kept?

TS 00088 cl 6.9 says to keep the report in the vehicle, and cl 6.9: keep each vehicle's service records available in the vehicle.

What happens to a defect the pre-start finds?

CLOCS-A cl 5.4.3(a) requires the defects to be reported and fixed. The Standard places the pre-start inside a maintenance management system for the heavy vehicle fleet.

Does the checklist cover tyres, brakes and lights?

No. The library holds the duty to inspect, not a list of mechanical items, so the checklist carries the duties and the Bronze equipment. Use the manufacturer's or your own form for the mechanical items, beside this one.